Toti Balderian - Change We Have Seen!

In the Philippines, most people enter politics then flagrantly enrich themselves. Too, some rich folks enter politics to protect their interests or, worse, to make even more money the easy way. Every now and then, a few who made money the old fashion way (They earned it!), enter politics and serve their constituency in the most effective and sincere manner of public service.

I know of such a person. His name is Dr. Rustico Balderian, Mayor of Tabontabon, Leyte. He also goes by his nickname Rusty or Toti. He is not all talk, he walks the talk.

He is both an optometrist and a physician by profession, a very successful businessman by perseverance. He was elected mayor of Tabontabon in May 2007, defeating the incumbent whose family had ruled this 5th class municipality for over 50 years.

Mayor Balderian did not get to where he is by happenstance.

Here’s an excerpt of his inspiring life story (1). After graduating from high school he went to Manila and worked his way through college, taking odd jobs as a factory worker, cigarette and balut vendor, and driver so as to achieve his dream of a good education. By 1975 he became an optometrist and in 1981 he completed his Doctor of Medicine from Manila Central University. He first ventured into the world of business in 1977 as a chicken broiler contract grower.

In 1983 he migrated to the United States to try his luck in the land of milk and honey. He was first hired as a truck driver in Los Angeles, promoted to store cashier and eventually as store manager making a measly $6 an hour.

He left his job sometime in 1984 and with $1,000 in savings started his own landscaping business. At the same time, he was working as a physician assistant in a medical clinic. The following year Dr. Balderian and his wife, a medical technologist, opened a medical laboratory in Los Angeles, a pharmacy in 1993, and a mobile X-ray company in 1996. In the year 2000, they opened the Ryan Imaging Center also in Los Angeles. During all this time, he was also busy in the Philippines, opening a diagnostic center in Tacloban City in 1990 and the Ryan Anthony Hospital in Cainta, Rizal, in 1995.

So what does a man do with all these successes? Give it back by paying forward!

In 2003 Dr. Balderian opened a nursing school in his hometown of Tabontabon, Leyte. Colegio de Sta. Lourdes of Leyte Foundation, Inc. first offered a four-year nursing degree, a medical transcriptionist course and a computer course. Later on it added an entrepreneurial course to teach young folks how to run a business. Colegio de Sta. Lourdes is not an ordinary school. All students are on full scholarship. Yes, everything is free including tuition, laboratory equipment, school supplies, dormitory and uniform! But the concept is not an indolent dole out.

Prospective students may come from any of the towns in the provinces of Region 8 (Leyte, Southern Leyte, Biliran, Samar, Northern Samar and Eastern Samar), not just from the town of Tabontabon, Leyte. Applicants whose parents’ annual income does not exceed 80,000 pesos qualify by passing an entrance examination. Students must maintain an average grade of 2.0 with no grade below 2.5 in a semester.

Add quality instructors to this body of bright and highly motivated students, you get a sure formula for excellence. It’s not surprising then that in 2009 Colegio de Sta. Lourdes made it to the distinguished list of the Top 20 Nursing Schools in the Philippines(2) with a passing rate of 88.55%. Not bad for a newly minted school in rural Tabontabon, Leyte, being grouped with the likes of University of the Philippines-Manila and University of the East Ramon Magsaysay (UERM) Memorial Medical Center.

The only thing that Dr. Balderian asks of the nursing students, as a condition for their scholarship, is that they send $1,000.00 a month to their parents for three consecutive years once they find employment abroad. He knows that these remittances will help drive the local economy.

Young folks interested in becoming entrepreneurs may apply to take the entrepreneurial course by presenting and defending a project before a committee. If they pass, Dr. Balderian finances the project with the students as industrial partners. But there’s a catch. After graduation the student must set up his or her own business instead of seeking employment.

Since becoming mayor of Tabontabon, Dr. Balderian has been successful in promoting environment and livelihood projects in Tabontabon. They have built 3 prototypes of bamboo cars that run on coconut biofuel. They also built bioreactors for use in the town’s solid waste management, including production of organic fertilizers. Others towns have bought their solid waste management equipment. Too, under Mayor Balderian’s leadership, the town has initiated livelihood projects such as making slippers, bags and bricks out of plastic waste and mushroom growing. Mayor Balderian did all these programs within the first couple of years of his term of office. Imagine…

Imagine if all these things he has done for the residents of Tabontabon, he will do for other towns. Well, it’s closer to reality than you think. He is running for the congressional seat of the 2nd district of Leyte. It could be an uphill battle since he’s running against the husband of the incumbent congresswoman, who between husband and wife has represented the 2nd district for the last 18 years.

I am convinced that after 18 years the people of the second district are ready for change. But not the kind of change that is merely promised, rather change that we’ve seen someone actually deliver. And Mayor Balderian has been there, done that, implementing change in the municipality of Tabontabon through his principal advocacy in education and livelihood programs.

However, the winds of change may not blow fairly for Dr. Balderian. He is running against a politically and financially well-entrenched veteran politician. But with the help of people who believe in him and what he has done, he has a good chance of winning.

Most overseas Filipinos may not have the means nor the aspiration to do what Dr. Balderian and other trailblazers did. But we can stand up and be counted by supporting people like Dr. Balderian. What can people abroad do to help? Well, you can buy votes for him without taking any money from your pockets. Let the money you send to family and relatives speak for your conviction. Tell your family and ask friends and relatives to vote for Toti Balderian for congressman. If other candidates try to buy their votes, tell them to take the money but vote for change. Vote for Toti Balderian. We all know what most of these traditional politicians who buy votes do once they are in office. Toti Balderian is not a traditional politician.

If you are in Facebook, become a fan of LOVE Balderian for Congress. Yes, love means never having to say you’re sorry. But here, LOVE means Leyteńos Overseas Vote to Elect Balderian for Congress.

Personally, I do not know Dr. Balderian. I have not met him nor spoken to him in person. We have exchanged one email correspondence that I initiated. I just know of him from what I’ve heard and read, of the good things he has done, both as a human being and as mayor of Tabontabon. And based on what I know, I can look my granddaughter in the eyes and say, Simone, there is a man by the name of Rustico Balderian who will never steal from anyone.

I’d like to share with you an interesting experience Dr. Balderian had while making the rounds of the barangays of Barugo. He said he enjoyed going around Barugo especially crossing the bridge to Barangay Balud from Barangay Minuhang (Baluarte Bridge). “I thought I could cross the foot bridge but after the third plank my legs wobbled because of the unsteady and narrow wooden plank. I had to go back and use a banca to cross the river. I told the barangay officials in Balud that I will never forget that wooden bridge. Deep inside me I wanted to tell them that I will make sure to fix that bridge once I get elected. But I did not say it because they might think that I was making a promise just to get their votes. I will just have to do it in case I get lucky,” says the very humble and unassuming businessman, doctor and mayor. Your typical, traditional politician would have quickly made that promise! But, as I said, Dr. Balderian is not a traditional politician.

He does not promise. He delivers!

And oh, I almost forgot to mention one other thing. There is another bridge you have to cross, Dr. Balderian. It has narrower, unsteady wooden planks and is more difficult to cross than the Baluarte Bridge. It is the bridge that will take you from Tabontabon to Congress.

But don’t you worry much. A lot of people believe in you and will help you cross that bridge.
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Notes:
(1)“Doc shares blessings with Leyte youth” – Philippine Daily Inquirer, November 8, 2008
(2)Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) 2009 Board Exam Results, Top 20 Nursing Schools 2009 in the Philippines with 100 – 999 exam takers

Enough Already!

Dear Marlene,

I’m not going to judge you as a mother and on your unconditional love for your son. But please stop it, Marlene, because you’re beginning to look like a nut case, at best. At worst, you’re making Kris Aquino look timid.

If you don’t want trial by publicity, then stop it. Your son is innocent until proven guilty, I agree. So let the wheels of justice grind. Let the courts decide.

You’ve managed to fool some people before your son allegedly shot the hapless Mr. Ebarle, Jr. But let us set the record straight. Gabriela Silang, Teodora Alonzo or Melchora Aquino you are not. Forgive me, Mr. Napoleon Abueva, you’re wrong on this one. Ms. Loida Nicolas Lewis, I admire you no end as a woman, mother, entrepreneur, civic leader and philanthropist but Marlene got you fooled. You said, “The woman is a live wire.” I say, “She may have some loose wires.”

All I know for sure is this. Someone was shot and killed in cold blood because of road rage. Your son is the prime suspect. He fled. You plead on national TV for him to surrender (with a qualified “if you’re guilty”). Twice the authorities went to your house; twice you denied knowing his whereabouts. You also told them that you received an email from him claiming he was in Hawaii. The third and last time they paid a visit, he was found in a secret hiding place inside your house and shot it out with NBI operatives. Fortunately, no one was killed. You professed your unconditional love and that no matter what he did you love him with all your heart and soul, or words to that effect. I understand. You would even take a bullet for him, you said. I say, why did you not? During the shootout, I saw you crawl and run instead, as the footage will bear out.

And you have been hogging the limelight with your posturing and your unbelievably wild conspiracy theories.

In the meantime, another mother is quietly grieving the untimely loss of her only son. She has avoided the glare of publicity with much poise and dignity. (Note: you might want to take this as a teachable moment.) But we can feel her undying and well-deserved unconditional love for her son. Well deserved I say because Renato Ebarle, Jr. probably got some tough love along the way. Did Jason?

Let it play out in court, Marlene, not in the media as if you're promoting yourself and your book. You’ve been hounded by the U.S. Government because of what you wrote in your book, so you claim. And Jason is being framed up as a way of getting back at you. Wow! Well, make sure that his lawyer asks Your Honor to mark it as defense Exhibit G, J or KK. (Sorry, but Sergio Apostol is running for Congress and therefor not available.)

About your book, Warriors of Heaven, is that the one you published yourself? Was it because no respectable publisher would take it? And how many copies did it sell? I’m just curious as to why, whatever it is you wrote, it would be a threat to the U.S. Government, and more importantly, how many read what you wrote.

Lately, you came up with this harebrained concoction of a tale insinuating that your "British bodyguard" is the real gunman. Good plot for your next book maybe but will not likely get your son off the hook. The truth of the matter is, from day one, you have been trying so hard to put the blame on everyone. Everyone except your son. Enough already!

And then you want the U.S. Embassy to take custody of Jason, and protect him as a (U.S.) citizen and soldier who served in Iraq. Last time I checked, the U.S. Embassy in Manila is part and parcel of the U.S. Government. So, Marlene, you want the same folks trying to frame him, for a murder you say he did not commit, to protect him? Hmmm…

Sometimes I think you’re milking the situation for your own media exposure. One of us is sick. Could it be me for thinking it, or could it be you for doing it?

At ang tanong,

“Nanay, ba’t ka nagkaganyan?”

At ang iyong mga mata'y minsan lumuha

Ng iyong pinipilit

'Di ka nagsisisi kahit pa

Nalaman mong ika'y nagkamali.

I know the title of this very popular song by Freddie is “Anak.” (1)

Without permission, I’d like to change the title to “Nanay.” Sing it again, Marlene!

Sincerely,

Jesse

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Notes:

(1) The original lyrics of the Freddie Aguilar song "Anak" quoted above goes like this:

At ang tanong,

“Anak, ba’t ka nagkaganyan?”

At ang iyong mga mata'y biglang lumuha

Ng 'di mo napapansin

Nagsisisi at sa isip mo'y

Nalaman mong ika'y nagkamali.

Freddie Aguilar, renowed Filipino singer and composer, is the brother of Marlene Aguilar-Pollard.

But For The Tact of Kris!

Jesse Cabanacan

The latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted during the last week of December 2009 still shows Sen. Noynoy Aquino leading while Sen. Manny Villar, gaining some ground, remains at a not-too-distant second. Aquino was chosen by 44 percent of the respondents, Villar jumped from 27 percent to 33 percent while former President Estrada is still a distant third at 15 percent.

Two candidates who by all accounts with respect to experience, integrity and capability should be elected the next president, namely, former defense secretary Gilbert Teodoro and Sen. Richard Gordon, are at the negligible numbers of 5 percent and 0.5 percent, respectively.

That is the funny part, actually, because as in every Philippine presidential election of late the joke is on us.

So let’s have enough of the funny stuff and focus more on the serious side of things. Allow me, therefore, to dissect the national political landscape the better to reveal the gross anatomy of the 2010 presidential elections.

I have always believed, along with millions of others, that Noynoy Aquino was catapulted to his candidacy because of Tita Cory and/or her death. Likewise, I also believe that if and when he wins and becomes the next President of the Philippines it will be because of his parents’ legacy. (Forgive me if I sound like Dick Gordon or C-5 at taga Manny Villar.)

My wife endlessly teases me of following showbiz news religiously. Well, guilty as charged! Unbeknownst to her, however, is the reason I do. While it appears my interest is in showbiz events and happenings, the real focus is politics. You see, it’s a little known secret in the Philippines that showbiz has a strong influence on politics. Trust me, showbiz events will determine who the next President will be.

As Noynoy is likely to win because of Tita Cory, he will lose the race because of Kris. All in the family, isn’t it? I’ve been sure about this since the day Noynoy declared he would run for President but kept it to myself fearing no one would believe. I would have kept my peace until the latest showbiz cum political development came upon us courtesy of the man of a few words, Mr. James Yap. He, who is much better known as the husband of Kris Aquino and who happens to be a basketball star as well.

Apparently, Kris showed up at the gate of the house of a female fan of her husband in swanky Valle Verde and confronted fan and fan’s mother about female fan incessantly calling Kris’ husband. Kris denies making a scene or throwing invectives at fan and mother.

The fan’s family has opted to remain silent over the incident. Of course, Kris will not be Kris if she does not relate her own version. This, according to Kris, as reported today (January 15, 2009) in the Manila dailies:

“In my 25 years of being in the public eye, nobody can ever say that it is in my nature na magmura or gumawa ng iskandalo. I didn’t shout or create a commotion.”

(Note to self: About a decade ago when Kris bared soul and all, including “tulo,” to Karina Sanchez and the rest of the Filipino people about her relationship then with Joey Marquez, true, she was just in tears but wasn’t shouting. And her revelation on national TV of a sexually transmitted disease I suppose did not ignite a national commotion over someone’s leaky faucet. Nothing scandalous about the whole thing.)

She goes on. “Mrs. Austria (mother of female fan of James) graciously came to their gate and we had a peaceful conversation.” She said she was “very polite” when she expressed her “discomfort about (female fan’s) actuations” towards her husband.

(Question to self: Have you seen Kris on TV talk condescendingly to people she absolutely has no reason to be mad at?)

“Mrs. Austria said it was all just a misunderstanding. I told her, ‘I’m sorry to be disturbing you, but I just had to come here. It makes me uncomfortable that your daughter is calling my husband,’” Kris Aquino said.

(Note to self: Refer to “Question to self” above.)

“At this time, (female fan) came out. She said James called her up to tell her that I’m on my way, and to just say sorry to me. She said, ‘I don’t know why I should. I’ve done nothing wrong.’”

(Note to self: If someone, whom you know is calling your spouse for romantic reasons, tells you something like this, remember to be as polite and peaceful as Kris when you confront that person.)

Aquino added: “I told her, ‘As a wife I’m telling you that it’s wrong. Why do you have to cry to my husband about your boyfriend leaving you when the guy is not even a friend of James’?’ I said to the mom, ‘Thank you. I hope your daughter would stop calling James,’ and then I left.”

(Note to self: Of course the written word is bereft of any discernible emotional content. So one can only assume that had one witnessed this particular incident, the softest tone of voice and utter politeness in its delivery would have been observed.)

“I told James that when we were still having problems, I didn’t cry about my problems to another guy, more so to a married guy. I said I would talk with her kasi hindi maganda ang ginagawa. Maybe she thought I only exist on TV,” says Kris.

(Note to Kris: Talk to James instead. Note to James: Ignore her calls.)

Kris says that, like her, any wife would do anything to salvage her marriage. “With my experience while I was still pregnant with Baby James (her second son, with Yap), mas gugustuhin ko nang malaman ang totoo for myself. I don’t want to be the last to know.”

(Note to Kris: You go girl! But don’t go ghetto like Elin Woods who smashed Tiger’s face and SUV with a golf club. Anyway, unlike Tiger’s professional implement, the basketball is less effective in inflecting harm to pretty face and causing damage to property.)

So what’s the political topography at this point?

Well, Kris is quite offended that this incident is being used to attack her brother politically, something that is really a “domestic issue that does not even involve him directly.”

See now what I mean about showbiz and politics being intrinsically linked?

Meanwhile, an uncle of female fan refused to comment on the incident when asked, except to say: “I now know who I will not vote for.” Well, that’s only one vote. Except that his name is Gabby Lopez, though not the same Gabby Lopez who is Chairman and CEO of Kris Aquino’s home channel ABS-CBN. But Gabby Lopez anyway, who could hold sway over the votes of millions of Kapamilya. Didn’t I say all in the family?

(Sad note to self: Kris said she will no longer comment on the issue based on the advice of her sisters and brother, Noynoy. If things would have been totally up to Kris, things would continue to be interesting. But don’t hold your breath as yet. If Kris will be Kris, comment she will further.)

Most people don’t realize how certain little incidents that on the surface appear unrelated to a tangential outcome, like this “confrontation at the gate”, have dominant roles in the concealed drama of much bigger things, in this particular case, the next President of the Republic of the Philippines.

If you don’t agree, I’ll let you in on a little secret that I’ve held for a couple of decades. You’d be surprised to find out what really triggered EDSA I. It’s not what you think it is. I’ll give you a few hints: Binondo Central Bank, Fabian Ver, Roberto Ongpin and Edna Camcam.

But that is for another time and space.

All In A Day

Jesse Cabanacan

Only two weeks into the New Year and within a span of a day we find attention-grabbing headlines that likely validate our blight of “living in interesting times.”(1) That day, January 13, 2010, could be a portent of things to come for the rest of the year. There were four events heralded that day in our beloved Philippines that could affect most aspects of our lives.

Mental health of government workers. Apparently, a survey commissioned by the Department of Health and conducted in 2007 shows that about a third (30%) of government workers has mental health problems. Why this was revealed only now, I don’t know. Probably they assumed this was common knowledge, so no rush therefore to reveal the results. The most common mental disorder was depression and anxiety disorder, this according to the Philippine Psychiatric Association (PPA).

My question is, were they mental cases prior to being hired by government or did they suffer the disorder as a result of their jobs?

“We think that people are just normal, but they are actually harboring mental health problems,” said a certain Dr. Edgardo Tolentino Jr. of the PPA.

Perhaps this explains some of the things they do!

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Supreme Courts restrains COMELEC regarding Ang Ladlad. As most of you know, Ang Ladlad is a gay and lesbian organization seeking accreditation from the Commission on Elections as a party-list organization to run in the coming May 2010 elections. The COMELEC denied accreditation based on its conclusion that the group was “espousing doctrines contrary to public morals.” In short, our highly educated and morally upright election commissioners equated homosexuality to immorality.

Since when has the COMELEC been the arbiter of morality? And when will these smart folks come out of the Dark Ages? The smartest of them all declared matter-of-factly that gays cannot be considered marginalized since there are already many homosexuals in Congress. To which I say let’s have a head count!

But let’s go along with the COMELEC’s logic. Homosexuality is immoral. Immorality disqualifies someone from running for public office. Therefore, Ang Ladlad cannot be accredited to run and be voted as a party-list organization in the May 2010 elections. Hello! So how many corrupt and womanizing incumbent candidates for congressman, governor and mayor have the COMELEC disqualified based on immorality? And didn’t they approve the certificate of candidacy of one self-confessed polygamous former president?

Actually, this could be explained. Please refer to survey finding on government workers.

Naturally, Ang Ladlad appealed to the Supreme Court which restrained the COMELEC from implementing its decision to deny accreditation and ordered it to include the name of the group in the ballot printing. It doesn’t mean though that Ang Ladlad can now run as a party-list group. The Supreme Court has yet to decide on that. But it’s comforting to know that, at least for now and for this particular issue, most members of the highest court seem to be within the 70% group of sane government employees.

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One in 4 Filipino families hungry. Unrelated to the aforementioned survey that revealed the insanity of a significant number of government workers, a recent poll by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed that 24% of Filipino families said they are hungry. That’s 4.4 million hungry families. Well, this is proof positive that the Philippines is a rich country pretending to be poor, again.

If you disagree, just look at the profligacy of the Ampatuans, with their stable of armored black Suburbans and their reprehensively numerous mansions. Such ostentatious display leads one to believe there is an abundance of oil in Maguindanao. (And with an army and police at their beck and call, they can annihilate 60 defenseless souls at a snap of a finger!)

Add to that the incredibly huge amounts (yes, in mind-boggling millions of dollars) that high-profile Filipino politicians bet at every Manny Pacquiao fight. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, so says the city’s tagline. If my mother and all of her 87 years only knew, she would in all humility ask, “Where to get?”

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Marriage Contract Expiration Date. Another aspiring party-list organization, the feminist 1-Ako Babaeng Astig Aasenso or 1-ABAA is advocating in its political platform an expiration date on the marriage contract. Probably an idea copied from a glamorous German politician by the name of Gabrielle Pauli, the group is proposing that a marriage contract, just like a driver’s license or passport, should expire after a pre-determined date, in this case the group is pushing for 10 years. At expiration date, the couple will have the option to either extend or renew the marriage or do nothing and just let it expire. Wow!

I may be a little slow at times but I ain’t stupid. I, therefore, have no opinion on this issue whatsoever, except to say that I love my wife dearly and will never let that love expire.

Interesting that the group’s president, a certain Margie Tajon, when asked if she is or has been married, replied in the negative and added that her marital status was somehow irrelevant to the issue at hand.

And the ever vocal Archbishop Emeritus Oscar Cruz, an expert in Canon Law and Chairman of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines’ National Appellate Matrimonial Tribunal (I didn’t know such a thing was in existence), dismisses the proposal as “some kind of desperate approach to right a wrong by something wrong.”

Two separate positions each at the extreme opposite end of the spectrum. And from persons who have neither been there nor done that!

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Note:
(1) “May you live in interesting times” is supposedly the English translation of a Chinese proverb and curse.

Her Name is Shiela and I Don't Know Her

Jesse Cabanacan

Two days ago a kindhearted fellow Barugon-on, Jenny Dispo Bautista, posted a request in one of the discussion boards of the Barugon-on group in Facebook. She asked me and the creator of the group, Boyte (Elmer) De Veyra, if she could post an appeal for help for one of our own. Of course, we told her. I also asked her to do the same in the Salog Himanglos group. Immediately, Jenny started a discussion board in the Barugon-on group. “Let’s Save A Life” was the topic title Jenny gave it.

Her name is Shiela, and I don’t know her. Shiela Ariza, 35 years old, mother of two, daughter of one Mr. Tomas Ariza of barangay Tutog-an. That rustic place by the Himanglos across the famous hanging bridge from barangay Calingcaguing. She has cervical cancer. That much I know.

Jenny started the discussion with “an appeal to you all to help a fellow Barugon-on who is now fighting for her dear life and is in need of major operation….She is now confined in a charity hospital in Paranaque City (Our Lady of Peace Hospital) and is just waiting for enough funds to finance her operation. The estimate (sic) cost of her operation is 50,000 pesos. With this amount, we are giving hope to a person who has much to live for. Christmas is fast approaching, and there’s no better way of celebrating it than bringing hope to Shiela. Bless you all for your kindness.”

Within 24 hours of her posting, three kindhearted Barugon-ons from the Chicago area responded with their contributions. The following day another one offered help. I do not know for sure whether or not we can consider this an overwhelming response.

According to the National Cervical Cancer Coalition, women in developing countries account for about 85 percent of both the yearly cases of cervical cancer and the yearly deaths from cervical cancer. Each year, approximately 473,000 women worldwide are diagnosed with cervical cancer. Each year, about 253,500 women die of cervical cancer. These are the desensitizing statistics. “A million deaths is a statistic. A single death is a tragedy.”

This year, 473,000 women were diagnosed with the deadly cervical cancer, plus Shiela Ariza. For some people I may or may not know, the numbers look like this:

473,000 and a daughter, Shiela.

473,000 and a mother of two, Shiela.

473,000 and a sister, Shiela.

473,000 and a cousin, Shiela.

473,000 and a niece, Shiela.

473,000 and a dear friend, Shiela.

And it could look like this: 253,500 deaths this year, and Shiela.

You get my drift.

Her name is Shiela and she lies in her hospital bed scared and wondering whether or not she can get her life-saving operation before it is too late. Too late for her two children to ever see the smile on her face again. But because of people like Jenny Dispo Bautista and many more who will rush to offer help, there just might be hope for her. For her children.

“Pay it forward” is not just a cliché. For Shiela specially, it comes real. She can never repay anyone and may not even be able to pay forward. But it doesn’t matter because there are lots of people who can and will pay forward. So Shiela can someday hold a grandchild in her arms. Nothing could be sweeter than that.

Her name is Shiela, she is fighting for dear life and I don’t know her. But I am happy. Many others are happy not because she could end up a tragedy. Happy at the chance to give her hope. To give her children hope. Nothing could be bigger than that!

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Note:
If you are interested in helping Shiela Ariza please go to the Barugon-on group “Let’s Save a Life” discussion topic for details on how you can send your donation.

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UPDATE:

On December 27, 2009, Shiela passed away happy that she was given the chance to spend Christmas with her family. To those who helped and prayed for Shiela, her family extend their sincere appreciation and heartfelt gratitude.

Teacher Most Sublime

Jesse Cabanacan

I did not know much about her and most of what I know now about anything I may not have learned from her, but as sure as the sun rises in the east, she made it easier for me to understand and learn.

I remember the very first day I met her in grade school. Being then of young mind and utterly lacking of discernment I failed to grasp that what was in front of me was the very definition of class and sophistication. But now my recollection of that first sight of her in grade school is completely devoid of any doubt. There she was so immaculate, as I now reminisce that encounter so vividly in my memory. And she had the grace, poise and elegance of the Queen of England!

She was my first grade teacher, and that was the only thing I knew about her then.

I do not remember much about my first day in grade school but I do recall walking for the first time along the path that I would follow for the next six years. It was a leisurely walk from the house I grew up in along Candaza Street heading west towards Real, now Penaranda Street. Today the smell of copra[1] still evokes memories of childhood felicity, for it was at this junction where I would pass along beds of copra drying under the intense heat of the sun, right on the road in front of the warehouse leased by our revered local Chinese copra trader. So it was also that this intersection marked the unofficial westerly boundary of our neighborhood playground, where at times we would pick up slices of copra as substitute snack food, quickly to satisfy any hunger pangs while at play. But I digress.

I did not know much about her but I was to find out rather quickly that the appearance which so electrified and awed me came with a creative mind and a passionate desire for helping young minds learn. In her classroom, decorum was the order of the day, the better to induce the mind to its proper focus and promote an environment conducive to learning. To learn the ABCs, children must first be trained to conduct themselves, a simple yet effective premise she imparted unwritten and unspoken.

The path that took me to school for the six years of grade school, I would walk twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon. There was the mid-day walk back home for lunch and then back to school after lunch, when the extreme tropical heat was at its peak. Today, most kids dare not walk but instead take the sikad-sikad[2] to school, a sign of progress or a misguided sense of priorities. I have neither the courage nor the pre-eminence to be judgmental.

Though I did not know much about her my curious little mind deduced that she was firm but fair. It was not her nature to embarrass any of her misbehaving pupils in front of the class. First the unruly one would be at the receiving end of “the stare.” When that didn’t work he would be pulled aside and admonished in a tone neither loud nor demeaning, such a rebuke done in a manner that a first grader would understand as to why the specific misbehavior was considered intolerable. But the stare, menacing yet not disparaging, worked most of the time, its laser-like precision cutting short any tomfoolery in progress. I know whereof I speak for not just once was I the subject of both corrective remedies.

After the left turn on Real Street from Candaza, my slow walk to school would take me to the plaza[3] adjoining Real and Mabini streets. I would bear right onto the diagonal path that cut through the plaza to the intersection of San Francisco and Mabini streets. I would then proceed along Mabini all the way to Arellano, where I would make a left turn towards Veyra Street, now Delgado Avenue, from where the school would be in sight. I would take the same direction in reverse on the way back home. I will remember this route through senility but what is most memorable is the short cut along the diagonal path through the plaza.

I still did not know much about her but she was one who saw the good in you and believed that you could do better. She inspired you towards perfection but recognized your limitation as well. And it is only now that I realize how she believed that before you could exploit your strengths you must first understand your weaknesses, truly one of the traits that made her teaching so effective. She had the distinctive ability to describe things from faraway places all over the world with such eloquence it made you feel you were at the very same place being described and made you believe she had been there, though she had not. She worked your imagination, and for the young mind there could be nothing better for its enhancement.

What made that short walk through the plaza most memorable was the work of my fertile imagination. Though I was always aware of the potential risk to bodily harm posed by the grazing horses, I always found comfort at the thought that my maternal grandparents lived just across the street from it. My grandfather, short of formal education but full of worldly wisdom, was a formidable source of strength for me. But that is for another topic for another day. The plaza was hallowed ground for legend has it that it used to be a cemetery in the early days of our town. Bereft of any markers one was left to imagine who could have been buried there and when. It was this walk that at times I beckoned the spirit of unknown ancestors to help me and guide me through the day. And it was on these walks that I would imagine things I would do someday, perhaps riding a horse like a knight in shining armor. But again I digress.

Though I did not know much about her, I know she taught me many things, from the mundane to the most meaningful. She taught me the King’s English as it should be written and spoken. It was from her that I first received formal instruction in my second language. Whether by sheer luck or stroke of fate, she was also my English teacher in sixth grade. Like an expert carpenter, she taught me how a sentence, from simple to complex, was constructed, every part and its utility and purpose clearly explained. I learned how to dissect every part and section of a complete sentence like a medical student dissecting a frog. And I’ll let you be the judge, for modesty precludes me, as to how effective she was.

After almost 20 years of dedicating her life to molding, cultivating and educating young minds, I suppose she decided it was time to redirect her efforts towards a better life for herself and seek greener pasture. So it was that at the age of 41 she left the small town she so loved and an enviable profession she was so good at to migrate to the United States. I was in high school by then but still a great loss she was to my grade school, Barugo Central Elementary School. She worked and settled in the windy city of Chicago, Illinois, where she eventually retired.

Almost every year from the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s, I attended the annual convention in Chicago of the American College of Healthcare Executives, a professional organization I used to be affiliated with as a Diplomate when I was still active in the military healthcare arena. It was not until sometime in the mid-1990s when I finally found enough courage to call and tell her that I was in town for the week. She graciously invited me for dinner and was kind enough to pick me up from my hotel. I still remember the chicken and pork adobo[4] she prepared for the occasion but, no, that was not the highlight of the evening. It felt so surreal, for here I was having dinner with, well you just have to trust me, the Queen! Reality check has it that I have a better chance of either winning the lottery or being hit by lightning than being invited to Buckingham Palace in this lifetime for tea with Queen Elizabeth. But I can tell you that in her modest abode that very evening it felt like I was in Buckingham Palace chitchatting with the Queen about my family and career. I was in teacher heaven!

There are people around you who greatly affect your life such as your parents, siblings and close friends. And you know a whole lot about them. Some people you may not get to know much about, yet they have a very profound impact on your life. She was one of those people. She played a major role in that chapter of my formative years that carried all the way to what I am today. Outside of my parents, immediate family and close friends, she had the most influence in my life. I am what I am today because she stood for what she was.

She was my teacher[5] in first grade.

Genoveva A. Ayuste.

There are a few things I know about her now. Members of her immediate family tell me that she was born January 3, 1930. I learned from them how she cared so much for her nieces and nephews, and how they miss her. Not surprisingly, she was to them an extraordinary person.

On December 17, 2003, two weeks shy of her 74th birthday, she succumbed to breast cancer.

Ms. Genoveva A. Ayuste, teacher most sublime.

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Notes:

[1] Copra is “the dried sections of the meaty inner lining of the coconut palm. It is the principal commercial product derived from the coconut palm, and is used primarily as a source of coconut oil.”

[2] Sikad-sikad is the local name for the pedicab or pedal powered vehicle. In the Waray-Waray or Leynete-Samarnon dialect, “sikad” means kick.

[3] In Barugo, Leyte, the vacant lot occupying almost the entire block along Penaranda (formerly Real) Street, between Candaza and Mabini streets, is known as the plaza. This open space, covered in carabao grass, served as the training ground for high school students of Leyte Institute conducting drills for the required military training in the high school curriculum. Most other times, it served as the grazing ground for local horses, cows and goats. Legend has it that it used to be the town cemetery in the early days of Barugo.

[4] In Filipino cuisine, according to Ambeth Ocampo in his article “Looking Back: ‘Adobo’ in Many Forms,” (PDI, 2/24/09) adobo refers to a common and very popular cooking process indigenous to the Philippines. Typically, pork or chicken, or a combination of both, is slowly cooked in soy sauce, vinegar, crushed garlic, bay leaves and black peppercorns.

[5] My other teachers in grade school, all good and competent, were: Mrs. Maria M. Astorga, Mrs. Agatona Estil, Mrs. Esperanza Escober, Mrs. Francisca Caneda, Mr. Natividad Gobenciong, Mrs. Aurora Escober, Mr. Abdon Acuin, Ms. Francisca Caneda, and Mrs. Anita Celestino.

The River Flows Upstream

Jesse Cabanacan

I fell in love with her at a very young age. It was so intense I chose her over childhood fame, even risked life and limb. Skipping classes was an afternoon delight because that was the only time we could have for each other. My teacher warned me that unless I stopped seeing her, not only was my place in the honor roll at risk, but worse I could end up with a failing grade.

Because I so loved her I did not stop. I almost drowned in her love, literally. I was in third grade and she truly was my first love. But love is not all there is and ours was never meant to be, not in the traditional boy and girl sense anyway. It could never have been, could never be, well, not just for me anyway. There were others, too, I found out later on. I always believed that all along she knew that someday I’d have to leave her for reasons that both of us subtly understood. And somehow I thought that she would always welcome me back with open arms.

It has been at least three decades since I last felt her soothing touch and caressed her then pristine body. I am ashamed, for not even once in my frequent trips back home did I get the same feeling as before. I am ashamed because it just seemed like I cared no more. But I am enraged and ashamed because in the time I was gone she had been, akin to rape, recklessly ravaged and turned into murky waters by the same people she showered with, nay bathed in, love. The only kind she knew, nurturing love.

Yes, she was my first love.

My river. My town. My birthplace. Himanglos River. Barugo. You see, to me, the river is the town is the river is the town. Same concept as the Holy Trinity, faith is your understanding. My Salog Himanglos, yes she is, was, will be, always!

Then six years ago she wrote me a letter. And I’d like to share excerpts of it, which go like this:

“You probably don’t realize how much you’ve taken me for granted. Like others did, and to this day many still do, you left me so as to satisfy your youthful quest and to pursue your dream of the future. Decades later and an ocean apart, you’re not sure you have accomplished either one. Because you can still feel the youth and adventure in your heart and you think, unattainably, that you will always chase the future only with a dream!

Pray tell, when you talk about me, how do you do justice to the place that nurtured you? A place now far removed from where you are. Or am I really? I am sure you can figure it out, but let me help you remember me by. Think with your heart, not with your mind, for there is nothing inconsequential about me, the place where you were born and raised.

In between you kept looking back, thinking that you were always here. All these years you felt as if you never left. In middle age, however, you’ve come to realize how selfish it has been of you to think that way. Selfish, yes, because it really is the other way around. I may not always be in your thoughts but I know I’m always in your heart. You may have left me, but I never left you.

I am this little town of a river. Or this river of a little town. Most never get it; they think I am this river by the town or this town by the river. You know I am both and that truly I am one.

And so let me help you remember me by.

Let your heart usher in the memories of the past, feel the realities of the present, and hope for the future; from early innocence to the reckless abandon of your youth, to the impetuosity and seeming invincibility of your adolescence, feel the joys and agonies of living the simple life of this little, lovely town.

I will help you remember me by.

The day you decided it was time to go, it didn’t matter where to. Because at that cocky stage in your life leaving was more important than to where you were going, as you thought ever so smartly. No different a premise than love conquers all, I suppose. Well, later on you realized you may not have been that smart at all. Because you grew up and learned about direction and a vision for the future. And now you ask yourself, “Have I been to the future?” So tell me, have you? And did you, do you, will you like it?

But let me help you remember me by.

You always had this funny feeling every time you came for a visit. You thought the streets became narrower before your very eyes. Physically impossible, thought you so. Your analytical mind refused to believe it but could not disprove it!

Let your heart nourish your mind and it will help you remember me by.

You can be smarter with your heart and realize that you were looking at what was then from where you are now. No, the streets are not narrower. It only seemed that way because, as you grew older wishing to be wiser, your perspective became wider. Don’t be fooled, the water seems to go downstream but it really flows upstream.

I do not know that you will ever understand but I’m not sure that it matters most. In that sense I can tell you that, yes, you have been to the future in the past and I know you liked it. And you’ll like the next future even better!

In your journey, I was with you always. And will be. For you are forever special to me, and I know I have a very special place in your heart. There is no then, and now is only fleeting.

I may be old now but to be old again is young. Come to me. I am always.”

Since receiving the letter from her I have been compiling a list of things I remember. In the coming months ahead, I will narrate the things I remember about me and especially about her. Memories stored in the deep recesses of my heart about how it was and what it was like growing up in the little town by the Himanglos and the river by the town of Barugo in Leyte province. If your heart so desires, you may also help me remember her by.

That is the very least we can do.